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The My 2010 School Adventure will give thousands of schoolchildren across the country the opportunity to participate in the 2009 Confederations Cup and the World Cup the following year.
The launch of the My 2010 School Adventure project
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
BRIAN MTIKANE and Luther Hlongwane - both 13 - are ecstatic to be part of the My 2010 School Adventure, a project that will involve thousands of schoolchildren in the build-up to the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa™.
The two soccer fanatics from Halfway House Primary School in Midrand were some of the hundreds of children who flocked to the Expo Centre at Nasrec, on Saturday, 27 September, to participate in activities like five-a-side football, table-soccer, drawing and dance.
Resting against a rail after a gruelling five-a-side game against a rival school at the Nasrec sports grounds, the two boys said they were excited to be part of the project. Under it, South African children will market the country in preparation for the Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
"I would also love to attend matches during the Confederations Cup and the World Cup to watch my favourite team, Brazil, play," said Hlongwane.
The My 2010 School Adventure project, an initiative of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC) and the national departments of Education and Sport and Recreation, focuses on three key areas - education, development of sports skills and coaching, and participation in regional and nationwide schools football tournaments.
First phase
In the first phase, pupils and teachers will, as part of the curriculum, learn more about the teams participating in next year's Confederations Cup and build relationships with schools in the countries that have qualified.
Education Minister Naledi Pandor launches a special schools project called Adopt a Nation
Schools have already started playing in provincial football tournaments and the winning teams from all the provinces will play in the Schools Confederations Cup in March 2009. The national winning team will win tickets to the Festival of Champions, as the Confederations Cup is popularly known.
Running from 14 to 28 June 2009, it features the current champions of the six FIFA Confederations, the reigning world champions and the next FIFA World Cup hosts, namely Brazil, Egypt, Iraq, Italy, New Zealand, United States, Spain, and hosts South Africa.
On Saturday, Education Minister Naledi Pandor also launched a special schools project called Adopt a Nation, part of the My 2010 School Adventure. This schools campaign targets over 12 million children from over 30 000 schools nationwide.
"This schools project will see schools adopt the identity of nations participating in the Confederations Cup. This will provide an opportunity for schools to know more about the cultures of the people of the world," Pandor said.
Deputy Minister of Education Enver Surty added that it was of major importance for schoolchildren to learn about the cultures and histories of other countries.
"And what better way than to include them through a progressive programme such as Adopt a Nation, which will empower our young academics with knowledge that will stand them in good stead in years to come."
Global event
Irvin Khoza, the OC chairman, said the aim was to make the Confederations Cup a global event that appealed to every province and city across the country and the continent.
"Schools have been identified as a primary vehicle to get the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ messages not only to children, but indeed to families and communities in South Africa and the African continent."
Khoza said schools had a vital role to play "to whet the appetite" for the world's showcase football events - the Confederations Cup and the World Cup. "And we want every pupil in this country to be part of these historic events."
From September 2008 to January 2009, pupils across the country will work on creative elements such as essays, poetry, art projects, music and dance performances relating to the Confederations Cup, with the winning submissions in line to win tickets to the two tournaments.
Ambassadors and representatives from the eight Confederations Cup nations took part in the launch, at which South Africa's nine provinces each adopted one of the eight participants and the African Union, in a random draw.
Zakumi, the 2010 official mascot, also participated in the draw. He was joined by Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation Gert Oosthuizen, who said the Adopt a Nation programme was "a venture that will revolutionise" sport and education in South Africa ahead of the two tournaments.
"We trust that pupils' aspirations on the sport and academic fronts will be taken to new heights as a result of their involvement in the programme," he said.
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